Chapter 9 - The Lighter
Mara sprinted through the study's hidden passage with Ethan behind her.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
"My room."
"They searched it."
"Which means they might have missed what they were too desperate to find."
They climbed the service stairs two at a time.
Behind them, Nolan shouted orders.
Mara reached the third floor, slipped through the linen closet, and ran to her former bedroom.
The door hung open.
Everything she owned was scattered across the floor.
Her mother's sweaters, old photographs, and jewelry were scattered everywhere. The mattress had been cut open. Mara's anger turned cold.
"Shoebox," Ethan said.
"Gone."
Then Mara remembered something her mother used to say: If you want a rich person to ignore something, put it in a cleaning bucket.
Before leaving for the cemetery, Mara had dropped the lighter into the supply cart outside her room.
She ran into the hall.
The cart was still parked by the bathroom.
Mara dug beneath rags and spray bottles.
Her fingers closed around cool metal.
"Got it."
Ethan took the lighter and twisted the base. A tiny memory chip slid out.
"This contains copies of bank transfers, shell-company documents, and audio from a meeting Nolan had with two city officials."
"Enough to clear you?"
"Enough to put him away if the files haven't been corrupted."
Footsteps thundered on the stairs.
Ethan handed the chip to Mara. "Hide it."
She slipped it inside the lining of her bra.
"Seriously?" Ethan asked.
"Nobody searches a pregnant woman there without creating a much bigger legal problem."
Despite everything, he laughed.
Then the bedroom window shattered.
Mara screamed and ducked.
A small metal object rolled across the carpet.
Smoke poured from it.
"Out!" Ethan shouted.
They stumbled into the hall as alarms shrieked and sprinklers burst overhead.
Through the haze, a figure in a housekeeping uniform grabbed Mara's wrist.
"This way," the woman said.
It was Rosa, Greystone's night cleaner.
She dragged them toward the back staircase.
"Rosa, what are you doing?" Mara coughed.
"Saving you from making the same mistake I made."
They reached the laundry room.
May you like
Rosa locked the door and turned to Ethan.
"Your father didn't die of a heart attack."
